An 


Outline 
Life  of 
Jesu^* 


4.D6Z  t — 


3,  lO.'O, 


i^' 


■^'"^ 


s^ 


^^  \\^t  ^olagtrai  ^ 


^tn. 


'ti. 


*/•- 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


'^ 


Division :-\^>rr^..S^^7'   \  *—  I 


^N    OUTLINE 
LIFE  OF  JESLS 


A.  BRIEF  STATEMENT  OF  THE  EVENTS  IN  THE 
EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  JESUS,  GIVEN  IN  CHRONO 
LOGICAL  ORDER  WITHOUT  COMMENT  OR  DIS 
CUSSION.        WITH 

A    DISTAlSrCE    MAP 

A  NEW  AND  UNIQUE  METHOD  OF  PRESENTING 
TO  THE  EYE  THE  JOURNEYING  OF  JESUS,  AND 
THE  COMPARATIVE  DISTANCES  IN  PALESTINE 


^^ 


IP' 

BY  Thomas  Freeman  Dixon 


FREDERICK 


INTRODUCTION. 


I^^N  INTRODUCING  this  little  book  to  the  public  there  are  sev- 
eral things  that  are  not  claimed  for  it,  among-  which  are  the 
following:  It  is  not  claimed  that  this  is  by  any  means  a 
■— «  "full"  life  of  Jesus,  that  is  an  account  of  the  events  and  hap- 
penings of  that  life,  the  most  eventful  the  world  has  ever 
known,  with  the  results,  effects  and  connections  of  those  events  with 
the  history  of  individual  and  personal  life.  In  fact  every  effort  has 
been  made  to  eliminate  all  that  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
narration  of  the  bald  plain  facts.  All  discussions  about  chronology 
and  arguments  over  the  location  of  disputed  places  have  been  pur- 
posely omitted,  the  chronology  of  Andrews'  being  followed  in  all  cases 
in  order  to  be  consistent,  and  no  attempt  at  all  made  to  locate 
unknown  places,  their  names  only  being  used  as  in  the  Scripture 
account  itself.  Also  questions  of  the  order  of  events  in  the  life  of 
Jesus  have  not  been  opened,  the  order  of  Andrews'  being  again 
followed. 

Again  it  is  not  claimed  for  this  work  that  it  is  homiletical  or 
theological  at  all  in  its  character,  no  inferences  are  drawn  from  words 
or  acts  of  Jesus,  nor  lessons  attached  to  anything  which  he  did  or 
said,  nor  are  any  doctrines  hinted  at  even  in  the  faintest  way. 

Still  again  this  is  not  in  itself,  strictly  speaking,  a  devotional  book, 
tho'  it  is  hoped  that  its  use  will  greatly  stimulate  and  aid  the  devo- 
tional study  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  as  will  be  shown  later. 

It  is  not  designed  or  desired  that  this  shall  take  the  place  of  any 
of  the  larger  and  better,  far  better,  works  on  this  subject,  on  the  con- 
trary, as  will  be  seen  by  a  further  perusal  of  this  introduction,  it  is 
hoped  by  the  reading  of  this  little  work,  with  its  few  pages,  that  a 
desire  will  be  created  for  a  larger,  fuller  and  more  detailed  volume 
along  the  same  line. 

3 


In  fact  this  is  not  a  book  at  all  as  books  are  g-enerallj'  written, 
but  simply  a  compilation  in  the  shortest  and  simplest  way  of  the 
events  as  g^iven  in  the  Bible.  There,  however,  the  events  are  given 
by  four  different  writers,  some  giving  some  events  and  some  giving 
others,  one  using  one  order  to  suit  his  purpose,  and  another  using  a 
different  order  to  suit  his  different  purpose.  Here  the  events  are  each 
given  only  once,  and  as  nearly  as  we  can  ascertain  in  the  proper 
order. 

Having  thus  plainly  stated  what  is  not  claimed,  let  us  see  the 
purpose  for  which  these  few  pag-es  are  issued,  for  there  is  a  verj' 
definite  purpose  in  that  action. 

The  attempt  is  to  furnish  a  book  that  will  make  it  possible  for  the 
reader  to  go  over  the  whole  life  of  Jesus  at  a  single  sitting  and  thus 
gain  a  grasp  of  its  whole  scope,  and  form  an  idea  of  the  whole  from 
the  start  to  the  finish.  Most  of  our  knowledge  of  the  Bible  is  so  frag- 
mentary that  we  miss  the  beauty  and  instructiveness  which  springs 
from  a  knowledge  of  the  relation  of  consecutive  events.  This  is  largely 
due  to  two  things,  first,  the  manner  in  which  the  International  S.  S. 
Lessons  are  given,  picking  out  only  th.e  salient  points  in  the  history, 
and  second,  to  the  lack  of  consecutive  reading  of  the  Bible.  "We  read 
in  fragments  and  have  a  fragmentary  knowledge  of  the  historj'  and 
no  knowledge  of  the  Philosophy  of  History,  which  is  simplj'  the  plan 
that  God  is  working  out  in  ages  and  nations. 

This  may  be  unavoidable  in  Old  Testament  history-,  but  surelj' 
in  the  life  of  Christ  it  can  and  must  be  avoided.  This  little  book  is 
so  short  that  it  can  be  read  from  cover  to  cover  at  one  time,  and  so 
simple  that  such  a  reading,  it  is  hoped,  will  not  be  heavy  or  tedious. 

Another  purpose  is  to  produce  a  book  that,  because  it  is  small 
and  not  at  all  formidable  looking,  may  be  picked  up  and  read  by  those 
who  would  not  think  of  attacking  a  large  and  extended  work,  but  who, 
when  they  read  this,  may  be  interested  in  the  events  noted,  but  not 
explained  or  amplified,  and  may  thus  be  led  to  a  deeper  investigation 
of  the  subject  in  other  and  fuller  "Lives"  or,  best  of  all,  maybe  led 
to  read  the  accounts  in  the  Bible  itself.  If  this  purpose  should  be 
accomplished  in  a  single  instance  the  raison  d'etre  of  the  little  book 
would  be  at  once  demonstrated. 

Again,  it  is  hoped  to  furnish  in  this  volume  a  handbook  which 
will  be  of  use  to  students  of  this  portion  of  Bible  history  by  which 
they  can  readily  and  speedily  ascertain  the  place  of  any  event  in  the 
order  of  events,  and  also  its  relation  to  preceding  and  succeeding 
occurrences  and  thus  add  much  to  their  knowledge  of  the  event  iu 
question,  and  all  this  without  long  search  thro'  cumbrous  volumes. 
It  should  and  will  help  every  minister  in  this  way. 

Finally,  it  is  desired  to  put  forth  a  simple,  plain  and  short  nar- 
rative wliich  may  be  put  in  the  hands  of  children  thiit  they  may  read 

4 


for  themselves  the  life  of  Jesus,  without  being-  embarrassed  or  con- 
fused by  glowing-  descriptions,  arg-umentative  essays,  or  theological 
or  homiletical  discourses. 

This  is  simply  the  statement  of  where  Jesus  went  and  what  He 
did  and  that  is  what  children  should  know  first. 

"With  these  purposes  in  view,  it  is  desirable  that  the  reader  should 
observe  the  following: 

Rules  For  the  Use  of  This  Book. 

1.  Read  it  all  at  one  sitting. 

2.  Read  it  often  and  learn  as  much  as  possible. 

3.  Read  it  with  the  Bible  at  hand,  for  reference. 

4.  Read  it  with  a  copy  of  Andrews'  "Life  of  Our  Lord"  at  hand 
if  you  have  a  desire  awakened  to  know  more  on  any  certain  subject, 
or  event  noted. 

Thus  read  and  studied  it  is  hoped  that  this  little  volume  may 
arouse  in  some  heart  an  interest  in  the  life  of  Jesus,  and  also  in 
Jesus  himself,  who  lived  the  life  herein  narrated,  and  died  the  death 
herein  told,  for  mankind. 

Frederick  Md.,  THOMAS  FREEMAN  DIXON. 

July  8,  1902. 


THE  DISTANCE  MAP. 


This  feature  of  the  work  is  thought  to  be  entirely  original  and 
unique.  It  will  be  found  of  great  use  in  studjnng  the  life  of  Jesus, 
as  one  can  see  at  a  glance,  not  merelj^  the  relative  position  of  the 
various  places  visited  in  the  course  of  that  life,  but  can  with  the  same 
glance  ascertain  the  exact  distance  from  one  place  to  another.  The 
distances  are,  of  course,  direct  lines  and  in  computing  the  time  of  a 
journey  something  must  be  allowed  for  the  deviation  of  the  road. 

A  day's  journey  was  considered  to  be  from  sixteen  to  twenty 
English  miles,  this  was  calculated  for  pedestrians.  As  the  most  of 
Jesus'  journeys  were  performed  on  foot  a  comparatively  accurate  esti- 
mate may  be  made  from  this  map  of  the  time  consumed  in  going  from 
place  to  place. 

This  map  will  also  give  a  better  idea  of  distances  in  Palestine 
than  can  be  obtained  in  other  ways,  for  at  a  glance,  comparisons  are 
instituted  with  well  known  local  distances  and  an  accurate  knowl- 
edge thus  obtained,  which  cannot  be  reached  by  a  mere  knowledge 
of  the  time  required  to  accomplish  a  given  journey,  because  the  method 
of  travel  and  the  speed  are  so  vastly  different. 


An  Outline  Life  of  Jesus. 


His  Youth. 


I^nN  THE  year  749  A.  U.  C.  or  5  B.  C. ,  Augustus  the  Emperor  of 
Rome  made  a  decree  that  all  the  Empire  should  be  taxed,  or 
enrolled,  according  to  nations  or  families.  To  fulfill  this 
^  it  was  necessary  that  each  should  go  up  to  the  main  cit}^ 
of  his  tribe  to  be  enrolled.  In  December  there  came  up  from 
Nazareth  a  man  of  the  house  of  David,  by  the  name  of  Joseph,  and 
his  wife  Mary  great  with  child.  Upon  their  arrival  at  Bethlehem, 
so  great  was  the  concourse  of  people  come  to  the  enrollment  they  could 
not  obtain  accommodation  in  any  of  the  ordinary  places  of  enter- 
tainment for  travellers  and  were  forced  to  seek  shelter  in  a  stable. 
During  their  stay  in  Bethlehem  the  child  Jesus  was  born  and, 
because  of  the  lack  of  other  place,  was  lain  in  a  manger.  The  night 
on  which  He  was  born  angels  appeared  to  shepherds,  who  were  keep- 
ing their  flocks  by  night,  and  announced  the  birth  of  the  Messiah. 
The  shepherds  went  to  the  stable,  saw  the  child,  worshiped  Him, 
and  returned  rejoicing. 

When  Jesus  was  eight  daj^s  old  He  was  circumcised  according  to 
the  Jewish  ritual  and  received  the  name  of  Jesus,  which  name  the 
angel  had  commanded  His  father  to  give  Him.  When  He  was  forty 
days  old,  following  the  requirements  of  the  law,  Mary  presented  her- 
self with  the  child  at  the  Temple  in  Jerusalem,  for  her  purification, 
and  then  returned  to  Bethlehem.  Shortly  after  this  three  wise  men, 
who  had  been  expecting  the  birth  of  the  one  who  was  to  bring  light  into 
the  world,  and  who  had  seen  His  star  in  the  East,  came  to  Bethlehem 
to  see  and  worship  Him.  By  this  time  Herod  had  heard  of  the  birth 
of  a  child  who  was  called  by  the  title  that  Herod  himself  bore,  "King 
of  the  Jews."     He  was  a  selfish  and  unscrupulous  man  and  thought 

7 


that  if  he  could  kill  this  child  he  would  make  his  rule  more  secure. 
Hearing  of  the  errand  of  the  wise  men  he  stopped  them  on  the  way 
to  Bethlehem,  and  made  them  promise  to  tell  him  where  they  found 
this  wonderful  child.  Being-  warned  of  God  in  a  dream  however, 
they  returned  home  by  another  way  and  did  not  see  Herod  again. 
Herod  then  made  inquiries  and  found  that  Bethlehem  was  the  birth 
place  of  Jesus  and  ordered  the  murder  of  all  the  male  infants  of  two 
years  and  under  in  that  town.  This  order  was  executed  but  Jesus 
escaped  death  because  Joseph,  also  being  warned  in  a  dream,  took 
Mary  and  the  child  and  went  down  to  Egypt.    This  was  in  May,  4  B.  C. 

After  a  sojourn  in  Egypt  of  three  or  four  months  word  was 
brought  to  Joseph  that  Herod  was  dead  and  the  family  immediately 
returned  to  their  native  country.  The  intention  of  Joseph  was  to 
return  to  Judaea  but  he  was  directed  by  God  to  go  instead  to  Nazar- 
eth. He  did  so  and  thus  Jesus  spent  His  childhood  and  youth  in 
Nazareth,  according  to  prophecy. 

Only  one  incident  in  the  youth  of  Jesus  is  known.  When  He  was 
twelve  years  old  He  went  up  to  Jerusalem  with  His  parents,  for  the 
first  time,  to  keep  the  Feast  of  the  Passover.  This  was  April  8th, 
A.  D.  8.  "When  the  feast  was  over  His  parents  started  home  but  Jesus 
remained  behind  in  the  Temple  conversing  with  the  doctors.  After 
the  caravan  had  gone  three  days  on  its  journey  His  absence  was  dis- 
covered, His  parents  returned  to  the  Temple,  found  Him,  and  He  went 
with  them  to  Nazareth,  where  He  remained  in  retirement  until  He 
entered  upon  His  public  work  at  30  years  of  age.  Thus  for  eighteen 
years  nothing  is  known  of  the  life  of  Jesus. 

A.  D.  27. 

''•i^  S~  Y'  ^"  the  first  of  the  year  A.  D.  27,  John  the  Baptist,  the  cousin  of 
'  Jesus,  began  preaching  repentance  and  the  coming  of  the  kingdom. 
After  this  preaching  had  continued  for  several  months  Jesus  came  to 
the  River  Jordan  and  was  baptized  by  John.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus  and  His  initiation  into  the  work  was 
marked  by  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  form  of  a  dove,  and 
a  voice  from  Heaven  announcing  the  divinity  of  Jesus.  Immediately 
after  the  baptism  Jesus  went  apart  into  the  wilderness,  and  was 
there  forty  days  without  food,  undergoing  a  series  of  temptations 
from  the  Devil.  When  the  temptations  were  over  and  angels  had 
ministered  to  Him,  He  returned  to  the  Jordan  where  John  was  still 
preaching,  who,  when  he  saw  Jesus,  exclaimed:  "Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world."  Upon  this  recom- 
mendation several  of  John's  disciples  followed  Jesus  and  in  a  few 
days  went  with  Him  to  Galilee.  Jesus,  while  in  Galilee,  was  invited 
to  a  wedding  in  Cana.  He  went  and  performed  his  first  miracle  by 
making  wine  out  of  water.  He  then  went  down  to  Capernaum, 
accompanied    by    His    mother,     brethren    and    disciples,    but    only 

8 


U  A 


remained  there  a  few  days,  as  April  had  now  come  and  with  it  the  time 
for  the  celebration  of  the  Passover.  From  Capernaum  He  went  to 
Jerusalem  to  attend  this  feast,  which  occurred  this  year  on  the  11th 
of  April.  When  Jesus  entered  the  Temple  He  found  its  outer  courts 
occupied  by  those  who  sold  animals  for  sacrifices  and  by  money- 
changers, these  He  drove  out  with  a  scourge  of  small  cords,  and  when 
He  was  questioned  by  the  Jews  concerning  his  authority  to  do  these  ,    .  ^ 

things.  He  replied  by  a  parable  concerning  His  own  death,  which  '  ' 
they  did  not  comprehend.  During  the  feast  He  worked  miracles,  the 
nature  of  which  is  not  given,  and  one  night  He  received  under  the 
cover  of  darkness,  a  visit  from  Nicodemus,  "a  ruler  of  the  Jews,"  to 
whom  He  explained  the  nature  and  necessity  of  the  new  birth.  Nico- 
demus afterwards  became  a  secret  follower.  When  the  Passover 
was  over  He  departed  from  Jerusalem  with  His  disciples  and  going 
{I'fx.  H  'Ijc^^  Judaea  He  taught  and  His  disciples  baptized;  but  when  He  heard 
V  if  that  the  Pharisees  were  saying  that  He  was  baptizing  more  disciples 

than  John  He  stopped  the  baptizing  and  left  Judsea.  Passing  througlr*  '^'  ' 
Samaria,  He  spent  two  days  there  teaching,  and  made  many  converts. 
Coming  to  Galilee  His  disciples  left  Him  for  a  time  to  make  a  visit  to 
their  respective  homes  from  which  they  had  now  been  absent  some  Jf-^  ^ 
months.  Jesus  was  received  with  great  honor  and  welcome  by  the 
Galileans  at  this  visit  because  of  the  great  things  He  had  done  at  the 
recent  feast.  He  now  went  to  Cana,  and  in  the  place  where  He  had 
performed  the  first  miracle  He  now  performed  the  second,  that  of  heal- 
^  J  y,  .  ing  the  son  of   a  nobleman,  the  son  being  sick  in  Capernaum.      This 

/  '  period,  known  as  the  Judaean  ministry,  together  with    the  work  in 

Galilee,  filled  some  seven  or  eight  months  from  the  Passover,  and  it 
was  now  December.  From  this  time  to  the  time  to  go  up  to  the  next 
Passover,  March  A.  D.  28,  Jesus  lived  in  retirement  in  Galilee. 

A.  D.  28. 

About  March  30,  A.  D.  28,  Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem  to  His 
second  Passover.  At  the  pool  of  Bethesda  He  healed  an  impotent  • 
man  which  act,  because  done  on  the  Sabbath,  much  incensed  the 
Jews,  who  entered  into  a  conspiracy  against  His  life.  Their  anger 
was  still  further  aroused  by  the  manner  and  words  in  which  He 
defended  His  healing  on  the  Sabbath  day.  Word  was  brought  to 
Him  April  fifth,  of  the  imprisonment  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  He 
retired  to  Galilee  and  resumed  His  work  there.  The  first  place  to 
which  He  came  was  Nazareth  where  He  stopped  and  preached  in  the 
synagogue. 

The  people  became  enraged  at  His  teachings  and  went  about  to 
kill  Him,  so  He  was  forced  to  leave  the  town  in  which  He  was  raised 
in  order  to  save  His  life.  He  therefore  went  to  Capernaum,  a  jour- 
ney of  twenty  miles,  where  He  took  up  His  abode  for  a  month  or 
more.     Upon  His  arrival  at  Capernaum  Jesus  gathered  His  former 

9 


disciples  around  Him  a^ain,  not  having-  liad  them  with  Him  during 
His  work  in  Judsea.  Quite  a  number  of  important  events  marked 
this  stay  in  Capernaum:  The  first  miraculous  draught  of  fishes; 
the  healing-  of  the  demoniac  in  the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath  day; 
and  on  the  same  day,  the  healing  of  Peter's  wife's  mother,  and  a  '.  \i '^-fC 
great  number  of  sick  and  impotent  who  were  brought  to  Him  in  the 
■'  '"■  evening.  On  the  morning  after  this  famous  Sabbath  of  healing  Jesus 
rose  early  and  went  out  of  the  city  to  a  solitary  place  to  pray. 
Simon  and  others  followed  Him  while  the  multitude  waited,  but  Jesus 
told  those  who  came  to  seek  Him  that  he  must  now  go  on  a  tour 
through  the  other  cities  and  also  the  villages  of  Galilee  preaching  in 
them  also,  which  He  immediately  proceeded  to  do,  spending  some 
time  in  this  way.  Early  in  the  summer  Jesus  returned  to  Capernaum 
from  his  circuit  through  Galilee,  and  spent  some  time  in  that  citj' 
and  on  the  seashore  nearby.  His  fame  had  now  become  so  wide- 
spread that  many  sick  came  to  Him,  whom  He  healed,  and  also 
Pharisees  and  doctors  from  all  parts  of  the  land  were  attracted  to 
Capernaum  to  see  and  hear  this  new  prophet.  Their  anger  and 
enmity  was  aroused  against  Him  because  in  healing  a  paralytic  who  , 

was  brought  to  Him  on  a  bed,  Jesus  first  forgave  the  man's  sins.  \'] ,j.  ^ 
This  the  Pharisees  and  doctors  deemed  to  be  blasphemy  and  became 
very  indignant.  Jesus  now  went  out  on  to  the  seashore  and  taught. 
Seeing  Levi,  or  as  he  is  better  known,  Matthew  the  publican,  at  his 
seat  of  customs,  he  called  him  to  follow  Him.  Still  another  thing 
which  especially  aroused  the  anger  of  the  Pharisees  against  Jesus 
during  this  stay  in  Capernaum,  was  His  action  in  regard  to  the  Sab- 
bath day,  One  Sabbath  day  Jesus  was  walking  with  His  disciples 
through  a  field  of  grain  and  the  disciples  plucked  some  heads,  rub- 
bed them  out  in  their  hands  and  ate  them.  Another  Sabbath  Jesus  .' 
healed  a  withered  hand.  The  Pharisees  now  conspired  with  the 
Herodians  to  kill  Him.  Again  He  withdrew  from  His  enemies  in  the 
city  and  taught  by  the  seashore  where  great  multitudes  gathered  to 
hear  Him,  some  even  coming  from  Idumea,  and  some  from  the  regions 
beyond  the  Jordan. 

One  evening  He  left  the  multitude  and  went  up  into  a  neighbor- 
ing mountain  to  pray.  In  the  morning  following  He  made  the  choice 
of  twelve  deciples  to  be  His  immediate  and  personal  followers,  these 
we  call  the  Twelve  Apostles.  As  the  morning  advanced  the  multi- 
tudes discovered  His  whereabouts  and  followed  Him  to  the  mountain. 
Jesus  then  seated  himself  upon  the  hillside,  gathered  first  His  dis-  ^ 
ciples,  and  then  the  multitude,  and  delivered  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount.  When  He  had  concluded  He  returned  to  the  city  and  healed  the 
y^  7    .  centurion's  servant,  the  multitude  still  following  and  thronging  Him. 

Jesus  now  left  Capernaum  and  went  toNain,  a  city  about  twenty- 
two  miles  southwest  of  Capernaum.     As  He  reached  the  gate  of  Nain 

10 


7W/ 


ttrtMlJ/r, 


He  met  a  procession  bearing-  to  the  tomb  the  body  of  the  only  son  of 
a  widow  of  that  city;  He  halted  the  bearers,  recalled  the  3-oung-  man 
to  life,  and  restored  him  to  his  mother.  During-  His  ministry  in  the 
parts  of  Galilee  round  about  Nain  Jesus  received  a  messag-e  from 
John,  who  was  in  prison,  broug-ht  by  two  of  the  disciples  of  the  lat- 
ter. Jesus  answered  the  message  and  then  addressed  the  multitude 
concerning-  John. 

Upon  this  circuit  "throug-hout  every  city  and  village  preaching" 
in  Lower  Galilee,  Jesus  was  accompanied  bj'  the  twelve  and  by  cer- 
tain women,  Mary  Magdalene,  Joanna,  Susannah,  and  others.  One 
\i^yt  other  incident  is  given  in  connection  with  this  circuit:  Jesus  dined 
with  a  certain  Pharisee  named  Simon  and  in  lieu  of  the  duty  of  the 
host,  a  woman,  who  was  a  sinner,  washed  His  feet  with  tears, 
wiped  them  with  her  hair,  and  anointed  them  with  precious  oint- 
ment. Simon  objected  to  this  and  Jesus  replied  by  relating  the  par- 
able of  the  Two  Debtors.  Completing  the  circuit  Jesus  returned  to 
Capernaum.  Having  spent  the  summer  in  this  way  it  was  now  the 
fall  of  the  year  A.  D.  28. 

In  Capernaum  Jesus  healed  one  possessed  of  a  devil,  blind  and  rt^l-  /*i 
dumb,  whereupon  the  Pharisees  accused  Him  of  employing  the  aid 
of  Beelzebub  in  His  miracles,  and  in  order  to  tempt  Him  asked  for  a 
sign  from  heaven.  While  Jesus  was  answering  it  was  announced  to 
Him  that  His  mother  and  brethren  were  standing  outside,  to  which 
He  replied  by  pointing-  to  His  disciples  and  calling  them  His  nearest 
relatives.  The  same  day  He  left  His  house  and  sat  \>y  the  seashore, 
and  when  the  multitude  gathered  around  Him  in  so  great  numbers 
as  to  press  upon  Him,  He  entered  into  a  boat,  and,  putting  out  a  little 
way  from  the  shore,  taught  them  from  the  ship.  When  the  daj' 
came  lo  an  end  He  and  the  disciples  crossed  over  to  the  other  side  of 
the  sea,  which  was  not  much  of  a  voyage,  as  the  lake  was  only  seven  ^  . 

miles  wide  at  the  widest  point.     On  the  way  over  Jesus,  fatigued  by  '  trr^  \ 

the  labors  of  the  day,  slept,  but  was  awakened  by  the  disciples 
because  a  violent  storm  had  overtaken  them  and  they  were  in  danger 
of  being  swamped.  Jesus  first  rebuked  the  lack  of  faith  in  the  dis- 
ciples and  then  calmed  the  tempest  and  brought  the  boat  to  the  other 
side  where  they  landed  in  the  country  of  the  Gergesenes.  As  they 
went  up  into  the  country,  two  men  possessed  of  devils  came  running 
and  cast  themselves  before  Jesus  and  begged  Him  to  free  them  from 
their  torments.  He  drove  the  devils  from  the  men  but  allowed  them 
to  enter  a  herd  of  swine  feeding  near  by;  whereupon  the  swine  ran 
down  a  steep  place  into  the  water  and  were  drowned.  The  owners 
of  the  swine  and  the  people  of  the  neighborhood,  when  they  heard  of 
this,  came  out  to  beg  Jesus  to  leave  their  country,  and  in  compliance 
he  returned  to  Capernaum. 

During  this  stay  in  Capernaum    the  following  events  occurred: 

11 


The  feast  at  the  house  of  Matthew  with  its  accompanying  conversa- 
tions, first  with  the  Pharisees  and  then  with  some  of  John's  dis- 
ciples; the  healing  of  the  woman  with  an  issue  of  blood;  the  raising 
of  Jairus'  daughter;  the  healing  of  two  blind  men,  and  the  dispos- 
sessing of  one  with  a  dumb  spirit,  upon  which  the  Pharisees  again 
accused  Him  of  being  in  league  with  Satan.  The  autumn  has  now 
past  and  we  have  come  to  the  winter  and  with  it  to  the  beginning  of 
the  next  year. 

A.   D.  29. 

The  first  three  months  of  this  year  were  spent  in  another  circuit 
through  Lower  Galilee,  during  which  Jesus  visits  Nazareth  and  is 
rejected  the  second  time.  He  commissioned  the  Twelve  during  this 
time  and  sent  them  out,  and  He  Himself  worked  alone  for  a  time. 
About  this  time  He  heard  of  the  murder  of  John  the  Baptist.  In 
April  Jesus  and  the  Twelve  met  in  Capernaum  and  prepared  to  go 
secretly  over  the  sea  to  obtain  a  needed  rest,  but  the  multitude, 
ascertaining  their  destination,  followed  around  the  head  of  the  lake, 
and  Jesus  healed  their  sick  and  fed  five  thousand  men,  besides 
women  and  children,  with  five  loaves  and  two  fishes.  The  same 
evening  He  sent  His  disciples  across  the  sea  and  retired  to  a  moun- 
tain and  prayed  until  the  fourth  watch,  when  He  went  walking  on 
the  sea,  to  the  disciples,  who  were  in  great  distress  in  the  boat  and 
not  able  tocome  to  land  because  of  the  storm.  Peter  attempted  to 
walk  on  the  water  to  meet  Jesus  but  sank.  Jesus  rescued  him  and 
they  both  entered  the  boat  and  it  was  immediately  at  the  shore. 
Jesus  healed  many  by  the  sea-shore  upon  landing,  and  went  up  to 
Capernaum,  where  in  a  discourse  on  the  bread  of  life,  growing 
out  of  the  miracle  of  the  previous  evening.  He  offended  many  of  His 
disciples,  who  left  Him  forever.  The  Twelve  remained  with  Him, 
but  Jesus  declared  that  one  of  them  even  was  a  devil.  During  this 
sojourn  in  Capernaum  Jesus  delivered  the  sharp  rebukes  against 
the  hypocrisy  of  the  Pharisees  in  a  discussion  of  Pharisaical  tra- 
ditions, entered  into  because  the  Pharisees  objected  to  the  disciples 
eating  with  unwashed  hands. 

Now  Jesus  made  another  circuit  with  Capernaum  as  the  base.  He 
went  through  the  regions  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  where  He  healed  the 
daughter  of  a  woman  of  that  country.  Then  He  went  into  Decapolis 
where  He  healed  many,  note  being  made  of  one  with  an  impediment 
in  his  speech,  and  fed  four  thousand  miraculously.  He  returned  to 
Capernaum,  where  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  met  Him  and 
tempted  Him  by  asking  for  a  sign  from  heaven.  Jesus  rebuked  their 
hypocrisy  and  declared  that  no  sign  should  be  given  save  the  sign  of 
Jonah  the  Prophet,  and  again  went  away  from  the  city  by  boat.  On 
the  way  He  discoursed  to  the  disciples  in  the  boat  on  the  leaven  of 
the  Pharisees,  until  they  arrived  at  Bethsaida,  where  he   healed    a 

12 


blind  man  and  sent  him  away  privately  to  his  own  home.  This  work 
in  and  around  Capernaum  occupied  the  whole  summer  of  the  year  29 
and  it  was  now  October,  from  the  11th  to  the  18th  of  which  month 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  took  place.  During  the  first  days  of  the 
feast  many  inquired  about  the  whereabouts  of  this  new  teacher  but 
made  these  inquiries  secretly  for  fear  of  the  wrath  of  the  rulers.  In 
the  midst  of  the  feast  Jesus  arrived  quietly  in  Jerusalem  and  went 
into  the  Temple  and  taught  and  many  believed  on  Him.  The  Phar- 
isees and  rulers  made  two  attempts  to  seize  Him  at  this  time  but 
both  were  futile,  the  officers  they  sent  the  second  time,  returning 
saying  "Never  man  spake  like  this  man." 

Duringthe  feast  the  following  events  occurred:  The  night  spent  on 
Mt.  Olivet;  the  conversation  with  the  woman  taken  in  adultery; 
another  controversy  with  the  Pharisees  and  a  vain  attempt  to  stone 
him;  the  healing  of  a  blind  man  whom  the  rulers  excommunicated, 
but  who  afterward  accepted  Jesus  as  the  Messiah;  and  the  delivery 
of  the  parable  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  When  the  feast  was  over 
Jesus  returned  to  Galilee  and  went  with  the  disciples  into  theregion 
of  Caesarea  Philippi,  over  Jordan.  On  the  way  Peter  made  the 
Great  Confession  and  Jesus  instructed  His  disciples  concerning  the 
coming  events  which  should  close  His  earthly  life.  He  also  taught  dis- 
ciples and  people  the  requirements  and  rewards  for  following  Him  and 
told  of  His  final  glory.  Six  days  later  He  took  Peter,  James  and  John 
and  went  into  a  high  mountain  and  the  transfiguration  took  place. 
Descending  from  the  mountain  Jesus  healed  a  demented  child  whom 
the  disciples  could  not  cure  and  departed  from  that  place  and  made 
a  quiet  tour  through  Galilee,  which  occupied  sometime,  avoiding 
public  attention  and  instructing  His  disciples  and  preparing  them 
for  the  closing  events  in  His  life,  now  soon  to  culminate.  Thus  they 
came  again  to  Capernaum,  where  the  incident  of  the  tribute  money 
being  found  in  a  fish  now  occurred.  At  Capernaum  Jesus  con- 
tinued His  instructions  to  the  disciples.  This  now  brings  us  to 
November  or  December.  The  time  was  now  drawing  near  for  the 
commencement  of  the  last  scenes  in  the  life  of  Jesus,  and  He,  knowing 
His  end,  now  left  Capernaum  for  the  last  time  and  set  His  face  to 
go  to  Jerusalem,  a  journey  in  a  direct  line,  of  about  seventy-eightmiles. 
Jesus  did  not,  however,  go  directly.  There  were  two  ways,  by  the 
Jordan  Valley  or  through  Samaria.  Jesus  chose  the  latter.  Being 
rejected  in  a  village  of  the  Samaritans,  he  went  to  another,  and 
rebuked  the  angry  disciples  who  would  have  called  down  fire  from 
heaven  upon  the  villagers  rejecting  Him.  Seventy  disciples  were  now 
chosen  and  sent  out  in  pairs  to  go  into  the  places  where  Jesus  expected 
to  come  later  and  prepare  the  way  for  Him.  These  returned  to  Him 
from  time  to  time  during  the  journey  to  report  their  success  or  failure. 
Jesus  followed  these  preparations,  journeying    towards    Jerusalem. 

13 


./>('? 


During  this  journey  the  following  events  occurred:  The  teaching  and 
healing  of  the  multitudes;  the  tempting  question  of  the  lawyer 
which  evoked  as  reply  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan.  The  re- 
quest by  one  of  the  disciples  of  a  form  of  praj'er  and  the  giving  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer;  the  curing  of  a  dumb,  possessed  man  calling 
forth  still  another  accusation  of  partnership  with  Beelzebub ;  the  Phar- 
isee's  dinner,  or  rather  breakfast,  with  its  accompanying  sharp 
rebuke  of  Pharisaic  hj-pocrisy;  a  discourse  to  the  disciples  and  a 
great  multitude  warning  against  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees;  the 
request  to  force  a  brother  to  divide  an  inheritance,  and  the  reply  in 
the  form  of  the  parable  of  the  Rich  Fool;  the  parable  of  the  Fig 
Tree;  the  healing  of  a  woman  who  had  been  sick  eighteen  years  and 
the  warning  by  certain  Pharisees  against  Herod.  Jesus  now 
arrived  at  Jerusalem  for  the  Feast  of  Dedication  which  took  place 
about  December  20,  passing-  through  Bethany  on  the  way,  and  visit- 
ing the  house  of  Martha  and  Mary.  When  He  reached  Jerusalem 
He  was  asked  by  the  Jews  to  declare  plainly  whether  He  was  the 
Messiah,  He  answered  by  referring  to  His  past  works  and  when 
they  would  have  stoned  Him  went  away  to  Bethabara  and  abode 
there  for  some  little  time. 

A.  D.  30. 

We  have  now  come  to  January  of  the  last  j'ear  of  Jesus'  life. 
Jesus  went  to  a  feast  at  the  house  of  a  certain  Pharisee  and  while 
there  healed  a  man  of  dropsy,  rebuked  the  guests  for  seeking  chief 
seats,  reminded  the  host  of  his  duty  to  the  poor,  and  delivered  the 
parable  of  the  Great  Supper.  He  now  resumed  his  journej'ings  in 
Per^a  followed  by  great  multitudes,  the  vast  majority  of  whom  were 
Publicans  and  sinners,  to  the  great  disgust  of  the  Pharisees,  since 
He  did  not  hesitate  to  eat  with  them.  To  this  concourse  He  spoke 
concerning  the  self-denial  required  to  be  His  disciple;  and  as  a 
rebuke  to  the  Pharisees,  and  to  correct  their  erroneous  teachings, 
He  uttered  the  parables  of  the  Lost  Sheep,  the  Lost  Piece  of  Silver 
and  the  Prodigal  Son,  and  privately  to  the  disciples  that  of  the  Un- 
just Steward  The  Pharisees  still  continued  to  mock  Him  and  to 
them  directly  He  addressed  the  parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus. 
This  part  of  His  journe}'^  is  full  of  advice  and  council  to  His  dis- 
ciples on  many  subjects.  Jesus  now  received  word  from  Mary  and 
Martha  of  Bethany  that  their  brother  Lazarus  was  ill.  He  tarried 
two  daj's  and  then  went  to  Bethany  and  raised  Lazarus  from  the  dead. 
Jesus  then  went  secretl3'  with  His  disciples toEphraim,  and  remained 
there  in  private  until  the  time  came  for  the  preparation  for  the 
Passover  i.  e.,  the  latter  part  of  March.  Some  of  the  Jews  who 
were  present  and  witnessed  the  raising  of  Lazarus  carried  the  story 
to  Jerusalem.  A  council  was  at  once  called  and  Caiaphas,  who  was 
then  High  Priest,  advised  the  death  of  Jesus,  making  that  now  famous 

14 


statement:  "It  is  expedient  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people.  '* 
Efforts  were  then  made  to  capture  Jesus  but  without  success. 
Shortly  before  the  Passover  Jesus  and  His  disciples  left  Ephraim 
and  passing-  along  the  dividing-  line  between  Galilee  and  Samaria, 
and  down  the  Jordan  Valley,  came  to  Bethanj',  during-  which 
journey  the  following-  important  events  occurred  in  order  as  g-iven: 
The  healing  of  ten  lepers;  the  parable  of  the  Unjust  Judge;  the 
parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican;  a  discourse  on  divorce; 
the  blessing  of  little  children;  the  conversation  with  the  rich 
young  man;  a  statement  of  the  reward  of  all  faithful  disciples;  the 
parable  of  the  Laborers  in  the  Vineyard;  the  announcement  of  the 
manner  of  His  coming  death  and  of  the  resurrection;  the  refusal  to 
James  and  John  of  the  chief  seats  in  His  kingdom;  the  healing  of 
two  blind  men  near  the  gate  of  Jericho;  the  sojourn  over  night  in 
Jericho  with  Zacchaeus;  and  the  parable  of  the  Pounds. 

The  day  Jesus  arrived  in  Bethany  was  Friday,  31st  of  March, 
or  according  to  the  Jewish  calander  the  8th  of  Kisan.  He  remained 
over  night  and  all  the  next  day,  Saturday,  April  1st,  in  Bethanj',  on 
which  day,  Saturday,  He  ate  with  Simon  the  leper  and  was  anointed 
by  Mary.  On  Sunday  He  sent  to  a  neig^hboring  villag-e  for  an  ass 
upon  which  He  made  the  Triumphal  Entry  into  Jerusalem,  in  ful- 
fillment of  prophecy.  He  went  to  the  Temple  but  soon  left  and  returned 
with  the  Twelve  to  Bethany  where  He  spent  the  night.  On  Monday 
Jesus  went  again  to  Jerusalem,  cursing  the  barren  fig  tree  by  the 
way.  On  this  day  He  cleansed  the  Temple  a  second  time,  healed 
lame  and  blind,  and  received  the  hosannahs  of  the  children.  In  the 
evening  He  returned  again  to  Bethany  for  the  night.  Tuesday  was 
again  spent  in  Jerusalem  in  the  Temple,  mostly  in  arguments  and 
teachings.  To  the  Pharisees  questioning  His  authority  He  replied 
by  a  question  regarding  the  mission  of  John  the  Baptist,  which 
silenced  them  for  the  time,  and  then  added  the  parables  of  the  Two 
Sons  and  the  Wicked  Husbandmen.  He  also  gave  the  parable  of  the 
King's  Son.  Seeing  the  people  casting  gifts  into  the  treasury  He 
commended  the  Widow's  Mite.  Some  Greeks  desired  to  see  Him  and 
asked  of  the  disciples,  when  Jesus  was  told  He  prophesied  His 
death,  and  thereupon  a  voice  was  heard  from  heaven  as  at  His  bap- 
tism. As  that  marked  the  beginning  of  Jesus'  work,  so  this  marked 
its  close,  for  now  Jesus  took  His  final  leave  of  the  Temple,  prophesy- 
ing its  downfall  as  He  passed  out.  His  public  work  was  now  done 
and  He  appeared  no  more  in  His  Father's  house  as  a  preacher  of 
righteousness.  On  His  way  back  to  Bethany  in  the  evening  Jesus 
seated  Himself  on  the  Mt.  of  Olives  and  instructed  His  disciples  in  the 
coming  events.  That  same  night  Judas  covenanted  to  betiayHim. 
Wednesday  was  spent  in  seclusion  in  Bethany.  Thursday  was  the 
Preparation    for    the    Passover    and    Jesus  sent    His  disciples   into 

IS 


Jerusalem  to  prepare  fcr  the  feast.  In  the  evening  of  Thursday, 
April  6th,  Jesus  entered  Jerusalem  to  partake  of  the  Passover  v^ith 
His  disciples.  As  the  Jewish  day  was  from  sunset  to  sunset,  this 
evening-  of  Thursday  would  be,  to  them,  the  beginning  of  the  next 
day,  Friday  ISth  Nisan  or  April  7th,  which  was  the  crucifixion  day. 
Coming  to  the  table  Jesus  washed  the  disciples  feet  and  then  partook 
with  them  of  the  Passover,  at  the  close  of  which  He  instituted  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  spoke  those  wonderful  words  of  comfort  and 
cheer.  They  rose  from  the  table  and  Jesus  prayed  for  the  disciples, 
and  thenthey  went  over  the  brook  Kidron  to  the  Gardenof  Gethsemane, 
where  Jesus  went  apart  and  spent  some  time  agonizing  in  prayer. 
Judas  now  came  with  the  officers  and  betrayed  the  identity  of  Jesus 
with  a  kiss,  upon  which  the  officers  took  Him  and  conveyed  Him  to 
the  city,  all  His  d.sciples  fleeing,  but  John,  who  went  with  Him,  and 
Peter,  who  followed  afar  off.  It  was  past  midnight  when  they 
reached  the  city  and  therefore  the  morning  of  April  the  7th.  Jesus 
was  first  taken  to  the  house  of  Annas,  and  then  to  that  of  Caiaphas, 
and  a  call  was  sent  out  for  the  assemblying  of  the  council.  While  this 
was  being  done  Caiaphas  made  a  preliminary  examination.  When 
the  council  had  assembled,  between  one  and  two  A.  M.,  Jesus  was  put 
on  trial,  and  as  no  testimony  could  be  produced  against  Him,  He 
was  condemned  as  a  blasphemer,  upon  the  grounds  of  His  own  con- 
fession. It  was  during  this  trial  that  Peter  denied  Him.  As  no 
sentence  pronounced  by  the  Sanhedrin  before  daylight  was  legal, 
the  council  now  adjourned  till  daj'break.  During  this  time  Jesus 
remained  in  the  palace  of  the  High  Priest,  where  his  enemies  heaped 
all  manner  of  abuse  upon  Him,  smiting  Him  and  spitting  upon  Him. 
When  day  broke  the  Sanhedrin  reassembled  and  sentenced  Jesus  to 
death,  and  He  was  bound  and  led  away  to  Pilate,  the  Roman  Gov- 
ernor, who  must  also  pass  sentence  in  a  case  of  death.  Judas  at 
this  point,  hearing  the  result  and  the  sentence,  returned  the  money 
he  had  received  and  went  and  hanged  himself.  Pilate,  after  trying 
various  subterfuges  to  save  the  life  of  Jesus,  whom  he  pronounced  a 
just  man  and  unworthy  of  death,  and  at  the  same  time  to  retain  the 
friendship  of  the  people,  yielded  to  their  demands  and  condemned 
Jesus  to  crucifixion,  despite  the  warnings  of  his  wife,  and  handed 
the  condemned  man  over  to  a  guard  of  Roman  soldiers  to  be  executed. 
Jesus  was  then  led  out  of  Jerusalem,  Simon  a  Cyrenian  being  pressed 
into  service  to  help  bear  the  cross,  and  crucified  at  a  place  called 
Golgotha,  between  two  malefactors.  The  time  of  the  crucifixion  was 
between  the  hours  of  9  and  12,  Friday,  April  the  7th,  A.  D.  30. 

The  crucifixion  was  accompanied  bj'^  remarkable  natural  disturb- 
ances: Darkness  from  12  to  3  P.  M.  ;  rending  of  the  veil  of  the  Temple; 
earthquakes  and  the  opening  of  the  tombs.  A  centurion  standing  by 
bore  witness  to  Jesus'  divinit3'.      Jesus  probably  died    about    three 

16 


o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  before  night,  permission  having-  been 
first  obtained,  Joseph  of  Arimathea  and  Nicodemus  took  the  body  of 
Jesus  from  the  Cross,  and  wrapping-  it  in  linen  and  spices  laid  it  in 
Joseph's  new  tomb.  The  next  day,  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  the  rulers 
persuaded  Pilate  to  seal  the  tomb  and  set  a  Roman  guard  over  it. 

At  day-break  the  first  day  of  the  week,  Sunday,  April  9th,  there 
was  a  g-reat  earthquake  and  an  angel  descending  rolled  away  the 
stone  from  the  grave  and  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead.  Mary  Magdalene 
and  other  women  came  with  spices  and  ointments  to  more  thoroughly 
prepare  the  body  than  could  be  done  in  the  hurry  of  the  burial.  As 
soon  as  l^Iary  Magdalene  saw  the  stone  rolled  away  she  hurried  back 
to  tell  the  disciples,  but  the  other  women  went  on,  saw  the  angel, 
were  told  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  and  given  a  message  from  Him 
to  the  disciples.  Peter  and  John  next  came  to  the  sepulchre  and, 
satisfied  that  the  body  was  not  there,  returned.  No\v  Jesus  made 
his  first  appearance  after  the  resurrection.  Mary  Magdalene  had 
returned  after  Peter  and  John  and  when  they  left  the  tomb  she 
remained  weeping.  To  her  Jesus  appeared  and  called  her  by  name, 
shortly  after  this  he  appeared  to  the  other  women.  In  the  afternoon 
He  appeared  to  two  disciples  and  went  with  them  to  Emmaus;  a  lit- 
tle later  He  made  Himself  apparent  to  Peter,  and  still  later  when 
the  disciples,  all  but  Thomas,  were  gathered  in  an  upper  room  with 
the  doors  shut,  Jesus  stood  in  their  midst,  showed  them  His  hands 
and  side  still  bearing  wounds  and,  breathing  upon  them,  gave  them 
power  to  remit  sins  and  understand  Scripture.  Jesus  made  five 
appearances  on  the  Resurrection  Day. 

A  week  later,  Sunday,  April  16th,  Jesus  again  appeared  to  the 
assembled  disciples,  Thomas  being  this  time  present. 

The  disciples  now  left  Jerusalem  and  went  into  Galilee  accord- 
ing to  a  previous  command  of  Jesus.  While  they  were  fishing  one 
day  Jesus  appeared  on  the  shore,  and  the  second  miraculous  draught 
of  fishes  was  made.  Coming  to  shore  they  ate  and  Jesus  bade  Peter 
"feed  my  sheep,"  "feed  my  lambs.  "  He  then  foretold  the  manner  of 
Peter's  death  and  John's  long  life  and  left  them.  Then  He  appeared 
on  a  mountain  in  Galilee  to  "above  five  hundred"  disciples  and 
delivered  the  Great  Commission  to  the  Church. 

After  these  appearances  in  Galilee  the  disciples  returned  to 
Jerusalem  and  on  the  fortieth  day  after  the  resurrection,  May  18th, 
A.  D.  30,  Jesus  gathered  the  Eleven  at  the  Mt.  of  Olives,  led  them 
out  towards  Bethany,  and  while  blessing  them  ascended  out  of  their 
sight. 

While  the  disciples  gazed  after  Him  two  angels  appeared  in  forms 
of  men,  and  told  them  that  as  He  went  He  should  so  come  again. 

The  disciples  then  returned  to  Jerusalem  to  carry  on  the  work 
He  had  begun. 

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